Another 36 Hours
SUNDAY NIGHT, 10:50pm, NASHUA, N.H. -- By the way, did I mention that we're on ANOTHER 36-hour tour? No, seriously, we are. This time we're in New Hampshire, criss-crossing the state, which is MUCH easier than Iowa since New Hampshire is about one-fifth the size. This time, there's no Red Bull, but there is a limited amount of beer on the bus, which should make things more... fun. Not that I would ever drink on the job or anything....
The campaign also provided us this time with hygiene kits with mouthwash, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Makes me wonder how foul things got on the last 36-hour binge.
So what does John Edwards plan do get out of this Granite State marathon? He told an audience in Nashua.
"I'm in the middle of a 36-hour non-stop campaign that goes through to tomorrow night," he bragged, looking far more excited about it than the beleaguered press corps." I'm gonna show you now what I'm willing to do as your president. While everybody else goes to high-glamour events and goes to bed tonight, I'm gonna be out workin'. I'm gonna be out workin' for votes, working for you, working for the kind of country that we believe in."
That's not to say he's ignorant of everyone else breaking their sleep habits.
"God bless the people who meet me in the middle of the night tonight," he said.
So we've thrown "Talladega Nights" in the ol' DVD player, cracked open another beer - er, I mean Diet Coke - and we're pushing on to the next event in Berlin (way up north, like, almost in Canada) at 2am
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MONDAY MORNING, 2:15am, BERLIN, N.H. -- So, we're in Berlin but we're not at the Berlin field office like we're supposed to. Instead, we're parked at an Irving gas station waiting for Edwards' bus to catch up to ours. Apparently he fell behind going to pick up Elizabeth somewhere on the way.
Sometimes the campaign trail is glamorous. You get to rub shoulders with some of the most powerful people in the world, eating fancy steak dinners, and drinking and travel the country all on the company dime.
Other times, you find yourself sitting in the parking lot of an Irving Gas Station in Berlin, N.H. at 2am, wondering how much caffeine and willpower you'll need to make it through the next 22 hours without a shower.
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3:00am, BERLIN, N.H. -- We pull up to the Berlin Fire Department. I introduce myself to two police officers waiting with firemen and a group of about 50 supporters for Mr. Edwards's arrival.
"How many of you on duty tonight?" I ask.
"You're looking at 'em," replies the female officer.
So if you're a burglar in Berlin tonight, now might be a good time to strike.
Edwards finally arrives on the Main Street Express, flanked by Elizabeth. He gets up front, thanks everyone for coming and does a super-abbreviated stump speech.
And though he's up and seemingly alert, he makes no secret that sleep is not far from his mind.
"I am in it 'til the end. I have my heart and soul in it, even when I'm half asleep in the middle of the night," said Edwards. "And I am in it until I am thinking about you. You know when I dozed off on the bus a few minutes ago, I'm thinking about you."
Honestly that quote seemed to make sense at the time. Now that I've transcribed it... Well, I guess we all should feel flattered that Edwards thinks about us when he falls asleep, right?
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4:30am, LITTLETON, N.H. -- The one thing you can be sure of on trips like these: if someone comes out to see you at 4:30 in the morning, it's a pretty good bet he or she will be voting for you. And if that's the case, Edwards can count on at least three dozen votes in and around Littleton.
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6:45am, CLAREMONT, N.H. -- Not gonna lie (and why would I ever lie? I'm a journalist): I definitely fell asleep in the middle of that last entry. I'm sure I would have written about Miller's Cafe and how it fit in perfectly with the small town charm of Littleton.
We get the same feel here in Claremont at DaddyPops Tumble Inn Diner. It's one of those train car diners with a row of booths on one side and a counter running parallel on the other side and very little else in between. John and Elizabeth walked into this cozy diner bringing the media contingent with him. Packed in like a bricklayer's mortar, we heard them again make the pitch for his candidacy.
I'd relate details of their speeches but I was far too distracted by the half-eaten stack of blueberry pancakes over in the next booth. I'm gonna have to order me some of those at some point.